martial arts

Tournament postponed after police cite Criminal Code

(Newser) -
For almost a decade, the annual Canadian championship in Brazilian jiu-jitsu has gone off without a hitch. That changed this past weekend when officials called off the event at the last minute upon discovering that it was illegal in the eyes of police. In a Facebook post on Saturday, a...
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'It hurt him,' says 8-year-old

(Newser) -
A would-be kidnapper got more than he bargained for after snatching a girl from her bed Sunday. Authorities say a man broke into a home in El Cajon, Calif., through an unlocked window, then grabbed an 8-year-old girl from her upstairs bedroom. Unbeknownst to her attacker, the girl knew kung...
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Chan, 58, says new goal is to be 'Asian Robert De Niro'

(Newser) -
The Kung Fu superstar is hanging up his black belt. Jackie Chan says he's done making action movies, reports US Weekly . Chan revealed his decision at the Cannes film festival, where he was promoting his 100th film—Chinese Zodiac. "This will be my last action movie," said...
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Joseph Lozito's leg sweep defeated crazed knifeman Maksim Gelman

(Newser) -
The New York City subway rider who helped disarm a knifeman accused of murdering four people and wounding several others says watching mixed martial arts fights on TV for 20 years likely saved his life. As slasher Maksim Gelman lunged at Joseph Lozito with a huge knife, Lozito used his...
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15-year-old taken from center where she was being 'cured'

(Newser) -
A lesbian martial arts expert staged a jailbreak to free her 15-year-old lover from protective custody in Indonesia, according to cops. The girl—who authorities say admitted to having a sexual relationship with her 26-year-old taekwondo teacher—was placed in detention to "cure" her after her parents became suspicious...
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Ninjitsu class interrupts attack outside martial arts school

(Newser) -
A gang of would-be muggers picked the worst dark alley in Sydney to attack their victim—right outside the gates of a ninja school. A student at the Japanese martial arts school saw the attack and raised the alarm. The attackers hotfooted it as five black-clad ninjas ran out, the...
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The latest trend combines Christianity with mixed martial arts

(Newser) -
Jesus just too wimpy for you? Fear not: A new crop of churches that combine religion with mixed martial arts could solve all your spiritual problems. "Compassion and love—we agree with all that stuff, too," one pastor tells the New York Times , "but what led me...
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Obama is now a master of tae kwon do, with 0 years practice

(Newser) -
This has gone too far. First President Obama gets the Nobel Peace Prize “without actually producing any peace,” writes Andrew Malcolm. Now the South Korean president has awarded him a black belt in tae kwon do “after zero long years of study. What would Chuck Norris do?”...
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Would-be baddie thanks cops for saving him from beating

(Newser) -
A group of South Korean tourists thwarted a robber yesterday in Rome with some cool Taekwondo moves that left him terrified, ANSA reports. The man assailed the group with a knife and grabbed a handbag, but one of the Koreans decked him before he could escape. By the time police...
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Actor 'very interested' in exposing underworld

(Newser) -
A secret kung fu sect may have killed actor David Carradine for uncovering its secrets, his family's lawyer says. "If there was some foul play, that that may be the first area where" authorities "should look," Hollywood lawyer Mark Geragos said on Larry King Live. He...
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(Newser) -
David Carradine was “an actor's actor,” Brian Warmoth writes on MTV.com, “a performer who left an indelible mark on everything he did with adeptly conceived roles in even the campiest environments.” Though best known for his '70s role on the TV show Kung Fu and...
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Facebook group invites public to be 'next in line'

(Newser) -
At least 1,223 people want to see Chris Brown get in another fight, and a Los Angeles martial arts expert is one of them, Fox News reports. Anthony Geisler, president of LA Boxing, started a Facebook group called "I want to fight Chris Brown" that invites the singer...
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Levens had been banned from mixed martial arts circuit for pain killer

(Newser) -
An extreme martial arts fighter known as "the executioner" and his wife have been found dead in their California home in what police are investigating as a murder-suicide, reports the Los Angeles Times. A gun was found next to the body of Justin Levens, 28, who died from a...
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Taekwondo association apologizes for kick

(Newser) -
Cuban martial artist Angel Matos may be banned from taekwondo for life after deliberately kicking a referee in the face, the AP reports. Matos was winning his bronze-medal match in Beijing when he was disqualified for taking too long a break after a hit. He angrily questioned the call, pushed...
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Exercise and self- defense meet in 'Cane Fu' classes

(Newser) -
Call it cane fighting, combat cane or cane fu: in classes across the country, seniors are turning to a different kind of self-defense, the Wall Street Journal reports. While the practice serves as a healthy way to get exercise, it also provides comfort to elderly people interested in protecting themselves...
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Drifter tells cops she very nearly bested him in 3-day ordeal

(Newser) -
The Georgia hiker kidnapped on New Year’s Day used every ounce of her formidable strength, martial arts training, and wit to stay alive for 3 days, her killer told authorities. Gary Michael Hilton said Meredith Emerson fought back tenaciously when he demanded her ATM card, and managed to stall...
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School balking over statue of ex-student

(Newser) -
University of Washington students are petitioning for the right to build a statue of Bruce Lee, the film icon who studied at the university for three years and offered martial arts classes at the student union. Students argue the statue would be step toward better artistic representation of the school's...
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Shaolin monks will skip Beijingmartial arts fest in '08

(Newser) -
Monks of central China's Shaolin Temple, renowned for their kung fu abilities, will not attend a major martial arts competition to be held alongside next year's Beijing Olympics, citing the discipline's emphasis on qi, or spirit. Their withdrawal prompted jeers from secular fighters: “We are the best wushu competitors....
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